


Lost and Found

by DreamAmongStars



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Hawkmoth, alya and nino are also there, just briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 04:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11051277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamAmongStars/pseuds/DreamAmongStars
Summary: Hawkmoth kidnaps (kwami-naps?) Tikki, and Marinette must do her best to get her back





	Lost and Found

Hawkmoth appeared on the screen—really every screen in Paris. "Ladybug," he said, his voice sinister, "I have taken something precious to you." Marinette's first thought was Chat, but she was surprised to see Tikki unconscious in a jar. She gasped. "If you don't want anything bad to happen to it, bring me your Miraculous. I will give you until midnight before your kwami is no more."

Marinette ran to her room, sure that Hawkmoth was bluffing. "Tikki?" She called out. No answer. "Tikki!" She began rummaging through her things, to no avail. Tikki was gone, but if one good thing had come from this, Hawkmoth had managed to steal her without discovering Ladybug's identity. That thought gave Marinette courage, but she still had no idea what to do.

She paced the room for hours, trying to come up with something—anything—that would mean saving Tikki and protecting her identity. Nothing came to mind, until an idea came to her around 8:00. Marinette scanned her room for the things she'd need, grabbing them and running out the door to where Hawkmoth said he'd be.

She should've expected Chat to be waiting.

"Marinette," he waved, jogging to meet her and leaning against the wall flirtatiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... I was just taking a walk?" She hoped Chat couldn't hear the question in her voice.

"It's dangerous here. Haven't you heard? Let me escort you to someplace safe." He gently took her shoulder and turned her around. How was she going to get past him?

"I can fend for myself, thanks," she said, twisting out of his grip.

Chat chuckled and held up his hands. "I have no doubt of that, cutie. It would just make me feel better if I knew you were safe."

Marinette grimaced. Chat wasn't going to let her out of his sight, was he? She checked her watch, which now read 8:45. Although she still had three hours, she didn't want to know what would happen if Hawkmoth grew impatient. Marinette decided to stall while she tried to think of a way to shake Chat. "What are you doing here, Chat? Hawkmoth is after Ladybug, not you."

Chat grinned. "Hawkmoth is never after just one of us, and besides, Ladybug and I are a team. If one of us in trouble, we both are. I can't let her fight alone."

Marinette smiled warmly at Chat's profession. If he was so determined to help Ladybug, maybe he could help Marinette. "Listen, Chat," she began cautiously, "I have something I need to tell you." Chat raised his eyebrows as Marinette gently pulled him into a nearby alcove. She glanced around them for any stray wanderers before pulling out a pair of red earnings, each with five black spots. "I am Ladybug."

Chat's eyes bulged, looking between Marinette and the earnings. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw his cheeks turn red in the twilight. "M...My lady?"

Marinette flushed. "Hey kitty cat. Can you help me?"

Chat's gaping mouth turned into a smile. "It would be an honor, my lady," he said with a bow, "but you can't give Hawkmoth your Miraculous."

"What makes you think these are my Miraculous?" She smirked.

"Then..."

"I painted these."

"You are just full of surprises, my lady."

"But I don't have a way to hide my identity."

Chat put his hand to his chin in thought. "What if you got on my shoulders and we put on a trench coat?" Marinette didn't even have to say anything before Chat recanted. "Kidding, kidding!"

"I need a disguise."

"What do you need, my lady?" Chat asked, suddenly serious. Marinette saw the sincerity in his green eyes. She felt like she'd seen those eyes before, but she didn't have time to try and place them. 

"Sunglasses, a hat—"

"—and a trench coat?"

Marinette shot Chat a look, but agreed. "And a trench coat."

"Alright. I'll get the trench coat, and you get the sunglasses and hat." Chat started to leave, but Marinette grabbed his tail.

"And don't steal it, kitty."

Chat feigned offense. "I would never, my lady."

\--

When they rendezvoused, it was 9:30. Marinette put the sunglasses on and tucked her hair into the hat, and Chat helped her into the trench coat before crouching to the ground. "Alright my lady, get on my shoulders."

Marinette rolled her eyes and shoved her foot against his back so he fell forward. "Time to work, kitty."

"Okay, okay," Chat said as he stood up. "Let's take out Hawkmoth."

Marinette took a breath. She wasn't sure what would await them inside, and she was certainly nervous about not being able to transform. Chat seemed to notice her anxiety and put a hand on her shoulder. "It will be okay, my lady. We'll get your kwami back safely. Are you ready?"

She might not be able to transform, but inside, she was still Ladybug. Marinette focused on that part of her and nodded, determination swelling within her. "Let's go."

They burst through the doors where Hawkmoth was waiting and found darkness, which made it even harder for Marinette to see. A single spotlight burst on in the center of the room, shining down on a man in black striking a pose. "I am The Understudy. They took the spotlight from me, so I will take all the light from them!" 

Marinette groaned. She couldn't deal with an acumatized victim without Tikki. Chat seemed to read her mind. "I'll hold him off. You go find your kwami."

"Thanks Chat. Be careful." She ran into the darkness, feeling against the wall for a door. As she searched, she watched Chat as best she could. "Chat," she called out, "don't use your Cataclysm on him; I need you to stay Chat as long as possible."

Chat jumped to avoid a strike. "You got it, bugaboo."

Marinette found the door and burst through it into another room. It was circular with soft purple light flowing in from somewhere. In the middle of the room was a throne-like chair with a small table next to it. A man Marinette assumed to be Hawkmoth sat in the chair, and on the table was the jar Tikki was trapped in. 

"Ladybug," Hawkmoth greeted, "how good of you to come."

"Give Tikki back to me," Marinette exclaimed, trying to hide the quiver in her voice.

"Did you bring your Miraculous?" Marinette pretended to take off the fake earrings and held them out in front of her. Hawkmoth sneered. "Then you won't need her back."  
This time, she let her quivering voice play into her game. "At least let me say goodbye."

Hawkmoth reached for the jar and stood up. He was taller than she thought he'd be, and she felt terror grip her throat. She'd feel so much better if Chat were by her side, but he was busy fighting the Understudy. She hoped he was okay. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she lost both Tikki _and_ Chat.

Marinette swallowed her fear and held out the earrings as Hawkmoth pulled Tikki from her prison, holding her so she couldn't fly away. Tikki looked unhurt, but Marinette still felt a twinge of pain for not having paid closer attention to her kwami. Hawkmoth gave her Tikki the same time she gave him the earrings.

"Are you okay?" She asked as Hawkmoth inspected the earrings. Marinette knew she didn't have much time before Hawkmoth saw through her, but she wanted to make sure Tikki was ready for Ladybug.

Tikki nodded. "Don't worry about me, but how could you give Hawkmoth your Miraculous?"

"I didn't want anything bad to happen to you," Marinette bluffed. 

"Wait a minute," Hawkmoth growled. Marinette felt her heart leap to her throat. Time was up.

Just then, Chat burst through the door, still fighting the Understudy. While Hawkmoth was distracted, Marinette yelled, "Tikki! Spots on!"

"No!" Hawkmoth leaped for her, but it was too late. Marinette had transformed, and no sooner had she done so, Hawkmoth disappeared. Now it was just her, Chat, and the Understudy.

Ladybug got her lucky charm—a rope. She looked around the room to formulate a plan, then called out instructions to Chat. He nodded, clearly exhausted, and began fighting the Understudy closer and closer to Hawkmoth's chair. Once the Understudy had been forced to sit in the chair, Ladybug tied him to it.

"Where's his acuma?" She asked, straining to keep him still.

"I think it's in his bow tie," Chat responded, pulling on the other end of the rope.

Ladybug ripped the bow tie off the Understudy and tore it, releasing the acuma into the room. She captured it and de-evilized it, then used her Miraculous Ladybug to restore the building and their former enemy. 

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat said in unison as the Understudy came to. He was still tied to the chair. So they released him and helped him outside, watching him stumble in the dark like a drunkard before he disappeared around the corner.

"My lady," Chat said, slightly red-faced from his fight, "your earrings."

Ladybug heard the beeping that let her know she only had about a minute left. "I guess it doesn't really matter anymore," she smiled. "Just... keep it a secret, okay?"

"Bugaboo, I swear on my life I won't tell a sole," he winked and extended his pole so he could get on the rooftops, bounding away into the night.

Ladybug turned back into Marinette as she watched Chat, a warm smile on her face.

\--

Marinette sighed on her way to school the next day, clutching her bag where she'd made absolutely sure Tikki was resting inside. She'd never lose her kwami again, or she didn't deserve to be Ladybug.

She got to the front steps of the school when Adrien arrived. Marinette's face flushed as he got out of the limo, a smile on his face. He spotted her and waved, greeting her with, "Morning, Bugaboo."

As soon as he'd said it, he'd realized his mistake and covered his mouth with his hand as though that would take back what he'd said. His face turned bright red, and he stood frozen on the sidewalk.

Marinette was reeling mentally. There was only one person who called her bugaboo, and she was now realizing why his green eyes were so familiar. She felt her face turn as red as Adrien's as she recalled the time she'd kissed Chat during her fight against Dark Cupid. Sure, he hadn't remembered, but _she_ did, and now that she knew Chat was really Adrien...

"Marinette! Adrien! Hey!" Alya called as she approached her frozen friends. Neither of them moved.

"What's wrong with them?" Nino whispered to Alya, who just shrugged like nothing was out of the ordinary.

She closed Marinette's mouth. "You'll catch flies, girl. Come on," she said, looping her arm around the other and dragging her up the stairs.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Yeah MariChat is probs my least fave of the square  
> Me: (writes a MariChat fic)
> 
> Towards the end I was like "wait, shouldn't Alya be there trying to figure out Ladybug's identity?" and then I was like "eh, I don't feel like writing it in"


End file.
